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Samsung eyes Lake Erie

Giant conglomerate Samsung is apparently pondering a wind farm comprising 200 turbines on the north shore of Lake Erie, but the Ontario government would only confirm yesterday that talks with the Korean-based company are in advanced stages.

Melancthon wind farm west of the village of Shelburne, Ont. Korea's Samsung plans to establish a renewable-energy business in the province. (DAVID COOPER / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

Mon., Sept. 28, 2009

Giant conglomerate Samsung is apparently pondering a wind farm comprising 200 turbines on the north shore of Lake Erie, but the Ontario government would only confirm yesterday that talks with the Korean-based company are in advanced stages.

The proposed wind farm would stretch about 25 kilometres from Port Maitland toward Nanticoke, an area considered to have excellent wind potential.

The Ontario government said the two parties have been involved in "months of extraordinarily cooperative effort" toward an agreement that would involve billions of new investment, including in manufacturing facilities.

"Both Samsung C&T Corporation and the government of Ontario are pleased to confirm that efforts are progressing well toward the signing of a historic framework agreement," the government said in a statement.

"While the contents of the proposed agreement remain commercially sensitive, both parties can confirm that Samsung, one of the world's leading companies, proposes to establish a new renewable-energy business in Ontario."

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Part of the plan calls for the erection of about 50 of the 200 turbines on sparsely populated forest and scrub lands belonging to Six Nations, near Dunnville, Ont., chief Bill Montour said.

Samsung would first put up six, 80-metre measuring towers this fall to see whether a wind farm would be economically viable, he said.

Samsung could not be reached for comment and the Ontario government said further information would only be made available "once a framework agreement has been completed."

To encourage renewable energy, Ontario's new Green Energy and Economy Act includes a "feed-in" tariff program – the amount paid to producers of green power.

Wind-turbine developers can earn about 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, roughly double the amount consumers now pay for electricity.

The company has also entered the solar-panel business, and both solar-panel and wind-turbine manufacturing in Ontario are reported to be part of the talks with the province.

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